This Used to Be a Quiet Place...

Chapters

Our Quiet Place
Little By Little
Wishing You the Best...

Our Quiet Place

“I ain’t seen this place so quiet in a long, long time.”

A dim shadow sat atop a grassy hill, staring out at the horizon from underneath a lone apple tree. Another shadow hovered above her, its black head drooped while its wings flapped steadily. The two stared out at what felt like a bleakness that stretched out for an eternity. However, it was simply night time in Sweet Apple Acres, or more specifically, very early in the morning. So early that the moon still dominated the sky and the jewels of the night still smoldered like tiny embers.

The shadow underneath the tree had her hat pressed against her chest, expelling a sad sigh. Her tired emerald eyes flicked up at the floating shadow, faltering as she gave a half-smile. “Rainbow, why don’t you jus’ take a seat, will ya? We got a lot to talk about…don’t we?”

“I don’t really see what else we can talk about AJ,” the pegasus replied quietly. But nonetheless, she lighted down next to her longtime friend, following her gaze out into the sky. “I’m pretty sure things speak for themselves.”

“Shame ain’t it?” Applejack whispered, giving a worn-out chuckle. “Used to be we couldn’t get ya to stop talking.”

“Yeah…guess things change.”

Applejack seemed to shrink when she heard Dash’s comment, shutting her eyes as those words stung her in the chest. She tried to keep the warm smile on her face, to remember what that even felt like. But when she opened her eyes, she found herself drawn to the pair of bags lying next to the tree. Each one was stuffed and labeled with a single word. Cloudsdale. As if she needed another reminder.

The pair sat in silence for a long time, neither able to meet each other’s eyes. All was still; not even a breeze brushed past, as though it also knew of the rare quietness emanating from Ponyville. The only sound was the duo’s hearts beating, pounding from the thought of the inevitable.

Finally, Applejack couldn’t let it go unspoken any longer. She whispered, looking at the bags, “So that’s it then, huh? Your mind’s made up?”

After a brief pause, Rainbow Dash sniffled and replied, “Yeah. There’s nothin’ left for me here anymore.”

The cowpony let out a muted groan, lying back on the tall grass to look up at the glittering stars. Rainbow decided to follow suit, crossing her hooves behind her head. “I can’t believe this, Rainbow,” Applejack said woefully.

Rainbow tried to shrug it off. “Well…things gotta end sooner or later.” Realizing how blunt she had sounded, the pegasus added softly, “Of course, I guess I wish it was later rather than sooner.”

Ever the pragmatist, Applejack slightly nodded her head. “Yeah…I guess you’re right.” She continued to observe the stars, eternally twinkling in the night sky; always present, always shining through the darkness, and all you needed to do was look up to find them. In the back of her mind, part of her still wished on them- still wished that she and Rainbow could be like them.

“But still,” she persisted. “It seemed so right, y’know? Back when we were...were….I don’t know…”

“Friends?” Rainbow spat.

Applejack immediately sat up, her lips curled down into a scolding frown. “Come on, Rainbow, don’t say that. Don’t you ever say that. We’re still-”

“Applejack, don't. Not after all that’s happened. You’re the Element of Honesty. Don’t lie to yourself,” Dash muttered bitterly, sitting up with her hooves crossed.

The cowpony prodded her friend in the chest. “And you’re the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow. Where did that go?”

“Don’t give me that, AJ! You know what happened just as much as I do! You know how long I’ve waited, how long we waited. We watched this place drive them away! And…and even though I knew they were never coming back, I still waited this long for them! I’ve taken the dogging, the harassment, the eyes, just for a bunch of ponies I thought I could trust. And you want to call me disloyal?”

Dash had been so caught up that she hadn’t realized she was hovering in the air, her face shoved into her friend’s, their snouts almost touching. She gave an apologetic glance, slowly settling back onto the grass, her wings hanging limp at her side. Taking a deep breath to calm down, she whispered sadly, “I miss ‘em, AJ. I miss ‘em a lot. You know, when we were hanging around, going on adventures, kicking bad guys’ butts…it was awesome. I…I never wanted it to end.”

“Well I’m still here. And so are you."

“I wish that could last too.” Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on one of the bags at her side, and both ponies let out a simultaneous sigh. “Sometimes…I wish she'd never come here.”

“Oh come on, Dash. If she hadn’t, we never woulda become the friends we are today,” Applejack stated tenderly. “She was the one who brought us together in the first place.”

“Pssh. And look where she got us today.” Rainbow Dash crept away from the apple tree, to the side of the hill that overlooked Ponyville. She could see the construction sites scattered throughout the city, which had started ever since this place was considered a “national landmark”. Tall buildings dominated the skyline, blocking off the view of mountains she knew was on the other side. In the midst of it all was a familiar tree, still standing even after its occupants had long since abandoned it, out of place amongst all the metal structures.

Many thoughts began to pop into the pegasus’s mind, some happy, some sad. As the faces of old friends formed in her head once again, Rainbow Dash whispered, “This used to be a real quiet place…’til she came along.”

“But... what do I do now? Is there a book about being a princess I should read?”

“There will be time for all that later. But for now, it’s best you all get some rest. Tomorrow, we will coronate you in front of all your new subjects. Equestria will get to meet their newest princess!” With a benevolent smile, Celestia nuzzled her faithful student's cheek, remarking, "You've come so far, Twilight. I'm so proud of you." Then she vanished with a flash, leaving seven friends standing in the middle of the night, exchanging glances that ranged from excited to baffled to everything in between. The newly transformed alicorn examined her new wings with wide eyes. She examined every inch and feather of this odd alien appendage, opening and closing them to make sure they were really hers.

As she spread her magnificent wings for all to see, Dash was the first to break the silence. She whistled and said, “Dang, Twi. Now that is a wicked pair of flyers you got there.”

“Yeah. Too bad I’m not sure how to use them,” Twilight replied, attempting to smile. However, nothing could hide the anxiety in her eyes.

Applejack began to pace around her alicorn friend, mimicking the same whistle Rainbow Dash had done. “Wow. I can’t believe it, Twilight. My own friend…a princess now! It’s crazy.”

“Now you get to do princess stuff!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, taking Twilight in a bouncy hug. “Like, like sit in a castle all day, and write letters, and sit on thrones, and…sit in a castle all day, and…and…huh. That sounded a lot more fun in my head.”

Gently pushing Pinkie aside, Rarity said, “Nonsense, Pinkie. Twilight is a princess now, and she can spend her time however she pleases. Oh I’m still in shock, dear. Out of pride, of course. It still seems like yesterday you were coming to help me try on my dresses.”

“Isn't that what we do almost everyday?”

“Hey, speakin’ of time, didn’t Celestia say something about a coronation tomorrow? Don’t get me wrong, this is really crazy. But you wouldn’t wanna be late to your own coronation, right Twilight?” Spike piped, loud enough for the awe-struck friends to hear.

“So…no alicorn party?” the party mare muttered dejectedly.

“Actually Pinkie…girls…girls?” The chatter died down, and in the middle stood the soon-to-be princess. Aside from the wings, however, nothing much really changed about her. If anything, she looked more like a scared foal than royalty. She stood with an awkward, shy tilt; her eyes where slightly glistening and her hooves couldn’t stop shaking.

“C-can you all just…stay here for the night, please?” she whispered quietly, her legs about ready to collapse. “I’m just so…overwhelmed by everything. The whole destiny mix-up, followed by the coronation, these wings! Could you just…stay with me? If this is to be my last day in Ponyville…”

“Now hold it right there!," Applejack interrupted. "This ain’t your last day, sugarcube. You’ll always have a home here!”

“But still…”

AJ looked at the rest of her friends, and each of them didn’t hesitate to nod. Shining her best smile, Applejack draped her leg on the alicorn’s shoulders and told her, “No problem, sugarcube. One little sleepover. Y’know, like good ol’ times."

“And maybe when the coronation’s over, I can teach you a few tips on wingin’ it!” Dash called.

“Yeah, party at Twilight’s house!” Pinkie hollered.

Then, as if they had read each other’s minds, the six simultaneously came together in a group embrace. Twilight was caught right in the middle with a meek smile, feeling her friends' warmness radiating through her body. Then, the six ventured inside the tree, never relinquishing their hold on each other.

As they moved inside, Twilight's eyes wandered the room, lighting upon a small photo hanging on the wall. It showed them after the disastrous Grand Galloping Gala, covered in pastries and grime, and still laughing about it. Words were scrawled on the picture, words that had been ingrained into her mind. Perhaps an utter disaster…isn’t.

She truly felt home, just as tears began to flood her eyes. “Thank you, girls. You’re always there for me. And I promise you, I won’t let anything, not even this coronation, change me, or come in the way of our friendship. You have my word.”

And the six savored that night together, the last one they’d ever have as friends.

“I personally don't think Twilight's even got an excuse!”

Walking down a dirt road with her four friends, Dash was doing what she did best: being extremely blunt. Earlier that morning, the Mayor made an announcement that Princess Twilight Sparkle was visiting the town in the afternoon, and that the residents of Ponyville should be ‘on their best, most respectful behavior’. And this happened to peeve off Dash for two reasons. “One, she didn’t even tell us she was coming. We’re her best friends, so I'd think she'd give us some kind of notice!”

“Doncha think that’s a bit self-centered, Dash?” Applejack scolded.

Ignoring Applejack’s statement, Dash snarled, “And two, we haven’t even heard from her in six months!”

“Actually…it’s been seven,” Fluttershy whispered.

“See! Fluttershy agrees with me!”

“Aw shucks, don’t be so hard on her, Dash. This ain’t just about us anymore. Twilight’s got other duties now.” Applejack placed a hoof around her friend’s shoulders. “Ain’t you read the papers? She’s learning how to run her own kingdom! I’m sure she ain’t forgotten about us. She’s just been really busy.”

Applejack’s words drifted through Dash’s mind, and she couldn’t help but admit AJ was right. But still, seven months was a long time to go without seeing a best friend, especially for a fast paced, impatient pony like Dash. The past half-year had been the definition of mundane for the group. After the dazzling coronation ceremony, they moved on their daily lives, with no exciting adventures or unfortunate mishaps befalling them, which truthfully felt a bit odd. But besides that, not much has really changed since they stood proudly on that balcony next to Equestria’s newest princess, watching confetti and cheers rain down from above. Except, of course, for the fact that their group was one pony short.

Sighing, Dash said quietly, “Maybe you’re right, AJ. But I just figured that if she was going to drop by, it wouldn’t be like-oof!”

She was interrupted when she bumped into the flank of a very large unicorn stallion, falling back onto her haunches. He wore a brown fedora, and a large camera levitated near his horn. “Hey, watch where you’re going, will ya?”

Dusting herself off, she began, “Well maybe if your giant flank wasn’t in the way…” But when she stood back up, she saw her friends had taken a step back, gazing out at something behind her. Dash followed their eyes, only to freeze in awe. “What the hay?”

Before them was a crowd of ponies who looked remarkably similar to the one Dash had crashed into. Most had cameras gripped in their hooves, trying to peek over each other’s heads. Pegasi crowded the air, drawing the shouts and groans of the ponies on the ground. Many stood shoulder to shoulder, vying for just an inch of breathing room. The group could make out the library in the middle of the crowd, with a carriage sitting just outside.

Exchanging confused looks with each other, the five tried to muscle their way into the horde. Applejack, after receiving a very hard shove in the side, shouted, “What is this? I’ve never seen y’all ‘round these parts!”

Rarity, who let out a shriek at the crowd's replusive behavior, attempted to squeeze in with Applejack. Tapping on another unicorn’s shoulder, she shouted over the crowd, “Excuse me! Can you tell me what is this commotion about?”

“Didn’t you hear? Princess Twilight is inside that tree right now! Everypony’s here to try and get some pictures!”

“Twilight’s here already?” Rarity reiterated, making sure her friends heard her. The news hastened their step, and the five quickly slithered through the army of reporters and paparazzi, trying to get to the looming tree in the middle.

Rainbow Dash tried to fly over the crowd, but every time she’d hop into the air, the pegasi would force her back onto the ground. Not one to be pushed around, Dash forced her way up, elbowing a few ponies until she finally got some flying room. Next to her, a reporter said to another, “Can you believe the princess spent two years in this dump?”

“Excuse me, but this dump is one of the nicest little towns in Equestria!” Dash shouted through clenched teeth, thrusting her face into the stallion’s snout. Fired up, she led the way for the group, her and Applejack clearing a path for the others to sneak through. “Hey! Get outta the way! We’re her friends!”

“Yeah right, and I’m the Princess of Trottingham!” one mare with a thick Manehattan accent called out.

Pinkie Pie, who wore a goofy smile, replied back, “No really! When Twilight lived here, we were like her bestest friends ever! We helped her defeat Discord and Nightmare Moon by shooting this crazy magical rainbow thingy, and…"

As she went on and on about her friends’ many accomplishments, the Manehattan reporter’s eyes began to widen. Moving up close to the group, she said, “Wait a sec’. You’re the Elements of Harmony?”

Before the party pony could answer, Applejack shoved a hoof in her mouth and uttered, “Pinkie, stop.”

But the damage had already been done. Before she had even finished her sentence, the reporter had told her discovery to another, and then another, and then another. Soon, the secret spread like wildfire, and attention started to shift from the library to the five ponies in the middle of the crowd. The reporters swarmed the Elements of Harmony, and the air became almost suffocating.

Finally, Rainbow Dash broke through the top of the cloud of pegasi, sucking in a deep breath of fresh air. Over the crowd, something by the library caught her eye. In the ensuing chaos, a small parade of Royal Guards began to sneak out of the library, each carrying a bag full of books and other trinkets. Surrounded by those guards was a purple figure, whose crown-adorned head stayed low.

“Twilight?” Rainbow began to slowly hover through the crowd, getting closer and closer to the tree. “Hey Twilight! Ugh, move it! Twilight!”

Apparently, a few of the paparazzi overheard Dash’s frantic cries, and they began to rush towards the library themselves. This ‘few’ soon turned into a horde charging toward their beloved princess. Seeing this, the Guards began to hurry into the carriage, dropping many of the trinkets onto the ground to be trampled by the ensuing crowd.

Rainbow made her way to the front, just as Twilight began to step into the carriage. With a frantic wave, she shouted, “Twilight! It’s me, Rainbow Dash!”

At that moment, it seemed the crowd’s roar went silent. Twilight turned her head towards Dash, and for a split-second, their eyes met. Dash gave a small grin to her longtime friend, opening her mouth to try to say something. But Princess Twilight Sparkle didn’t return the gesture.

Instead, she hastily stepped inside, and a guard slammed the door shut. The carriage quickly flew away, escaping the flashing lights below. And all Rainbow could do was hover there, her smile turned to nothing, watching that orb containing her friend fly off into the sun and disappear over the mountains. Even as the cry of ‘She dropped some things!’ sounded next to her, she stayed frozen in the air. All she really saw was those purple eyes, and nothing else.

Soon the muffled voice of Applejack rang in her head. “Rainbow...Rainbow...Rainbow!" The pegasus jolted back to reality, giving a startled gasp. "So? Didya see her?”

After a moment of silence, Dash just shook her head and answered, “No. I couldn't get to her. She flew off.”

"Aw...well that's jus' too bad. Maybe next time she comes around, sugarcube. Next time."

"Sure..."

The crowd was gone now, and the last of the reporters scrambled out of the tree. The Elements made their way inside, shocked to find shelves and walls stripped of books and pictures. It was almost as if nopony had ever lived there. As Dash hobbled into the library and through the mess of items thrown on the floor, one particular object caught her eye. It was a cracked picture frame, and the photo inside was torn and crumpled from the horde of hooves. A message was scrawled onto the picture, but a part of it had been ripped off.

Perhaps an utter disaster…

Little By Little

…Utter disaster...

Those two words haunted Rainbow Dash the entire morning. They had followed her ever since she had inexplicably taken that photo home and stuffed it in her drawer, where she’d occasionally glance at it for no particular reason. One of those moments happened to be last night, which probably would explain why she was swerving around in the air, lost in her thoughts.

Luckily, she snapped out of it just before her face could come into contact with a floating steel girder.

As the hunk of metal whizzed by her head, a hardhat-wearing pegasus shouted, “Hey! Watch where you’re flying! This hotel probably costs more than you!”

“Hotel?” she scoffed, raising her eyebrows. “Why would ponies want to stay in Ponyville?”

“I think a better question would be why wouldn’t they? Now get out of the way, missy!”

Missy? Don’t you know who I am? Dash thought of saying. But she merely rolled her baggy eyes and took off, lacking the energy to get into another fight. As she did her usual rounds through Ponyville, she couldn’t help but notice a few more sites here and there. A cloud of dust always surrounded them, and the loud noises seemed to irritate the surrounding denizens. But for now, the pegasus didn’t really think much of it, except for the fact that they tended to block her usual flight path.

Finally, she came upon the Carousel Boutique in all its pink, girly, and totally-not-cool glory. For some reason, something had urged her to visit Rarity, and since these unexplained feelings were really common these days, Dash decided to heed it. The thought of crashing through the ceiling like old times just for the heck of it passed through her head, but it was soon replaced by curiosity when she saw a large carriage carrying boxes parked outside.

Dash knocked on the door, surprised to see a CLOSED sign on the front, and even more surprised that it was still propped open. She stepped inside, saying, “Hey Rares! It’s me, Rainbow. I just wanted to…whoa.”

What she found inside nearly made her jump back in shock. The boutique was barely a boutique anymore, with boxes stacked high around the store. Only a few empty mannequins and a single sewing machine remained outside. The walls seemed so barren and empty…and eerily familiar.

Suddenly, a head poked from out of a corridor, her flowing purple mane covered by a beret. When she saw the rainbow-maned figure in her doorway, she let out a gasp. “Oh, Rainbow! I, erm, I certainly wasn’t expecting you to drop by,” she said, a fake smile appearing on her lips. Rarity stepped into the room, but not before casting a wary glance at the boxes surrounding her.

Rainbow wore a wry smirk on her face. “What’s with all these boxes? You gettin’ some new shipments or something? Doing some remodeling?”

“Err, about that, Rainbow. I…I actually got a…business proposition.”

“Whoa! Well that’s great, Rarity! So you’re gonna get tons more customers now, right?”

“Yes, I suppose you could say that.” Rarity bit her lip and peered at Dash sadly, who now looked incredibly confused. Finally, the fashionista added, “But the proposition, well, it’s in Manehattan…I’m moving away.”

It was as if everything inside Rainbow Dash just sank. Her smile, her wings, her head, her heart. Everything felt like it wanted to drop straight to the ground, sink deeper into the earth and just disappear. “What?” was all she could muster.

She didn’t flinch when Rarity placed a gentle hoof on her cheek and began to explain. “You probably wouldn’t believe this, but nowadays, the title ‘Element of Harmony’ carries quite a bit of meaning in Equestria. Just a few days ago, one Count Silver Dime contacted me and said he was impressed with my dresses. He offered me a job as head of his Manehattan branch, and to put it simply, I would be a fool not to take such a prestigious position!”

“So what? You’re, like, selling out?” Dash asked. She had intended to make it sound bitter, but instead it came out as a sad whimper.

“What? No, of course not! This is what I’ve always wanted to do, Rainbow! Making dresses for the finest ponies in all of Equestria! You know that!”

“Well, how long ago was this?”

“Only a few days ago,” Rarity answered a bit too quickly. “I wanted to tell all of you at once, but with the flurry of the press and everything…I just couldn’t find the time. I’m so sorry this is so sudden.” She patted her hooves on Dash’s shoulder, batting her eyelashes and giving a good pout. Rainbow Dash had known Rarity for so long, she had learned to tell whether or not she was being overly-dramatic. But as Rarity tried to wrap her friend in an embrace, Dash realized she wasn’t quite sure anymore.

So she shrugged off her friend’s hoof and muttered, “No, Rarity, it’s fine. I’m…I’m happy for you. Congrats.”

“Oh…I promise I’ll visit from time to time,” the unicorn assured. “And I’ll be sure to send some of my money back to you girls.”

“No, you don’t need to-.”

“But I do!” Rarity exclaimed with a theatrical wave of her hoof. “You’re still my best friends, right? And after all, I never would have gotten this publicity without any of you!”

“Publicity?” The word was like acid in Rainbow’s mouth, and she found herself slowly backing towards the doorway. She kept staring at Rarity’s piercing eyes, which were now an odd shade of dull purple.

“I’m leaving in a day, Dash. Will you tell the others, in case I don’t see them by then?”

“Yeah…sure,” she replied hollowly. Somehow, the pegasus was standing outside, the sunlight shining into the dark Carousel Boutique. Rarity gave an apologetic smile, and as Rainbow turned to fly away, the door closed shut. The sound of a lock clicked behind her.

And so, Rainbow Dash quickly took off from that blasted carousel, her eyes narrowed into slits. She flew past Sugarcube Corner, past Sweet Apple Acres, and past Fluttershy’s cottage, making a beeline straight for her home. Once she got there, she locked herself in her room for the rest of the day.

Applejack was closing up shop for the afternoon, a lot earlier than she usually did. The market was awash with ponies wearing Haywaiian shirts and sunglasses, carrying tote bags around their torso. Each stand seemed to have its own little crowd, the owners having to compete with merchandise-grabbing hooves and endless shouts of haggling. This sudden influx of customers had caused Applejack to sell out her products a lot faster than she expected. And this normally would be a good thing, if it wasn’t for the disgruntled ponies who waited in line only for the cowpony to shout, “Sorry y’all! We’re all out!”

As she shut down the stand, Applejack noticed those very same angry customers shuffling over to another stand across the way. It was a new food stand that opened up just a few weeks ago, which used some newfangled contraption that could make fried apple fritters in no time at all. She scrunched up her nose at the thought of it, muttering, “Buncha darn mechanical hooie if ya ask me.”

When she passed by the stand, a young mare wearing an apple hat asked, “Free samples?”

Rolling her eyes, Applejack plucked the fried piece off the platter and popped it into her mouth. She continued on without a word, savoring the sweet, scrumptious, absolutely delectable treat with a frown.

On the way home, she walked by the Carousel Boutique, the CLOSED sign now covered with cobwebs. Rarity had been gone for almost three months now, so the boutique was simply an empty shell amongst a rapidly expanding city. Applejack gave a weak smile, and passed right along. She never really got the chance to say goodbye, so she took it upon herself to mutter a farewell under her breath every time she passed.

While she stood there, a deep, horn-like sound caught her attention. Behind her was a large cart much like the one Trixie used to wheel around, stocked full with random objects from accordions to key-lime pies. A pony carried a large brass instrument, teetering towards the cart. It probably would have looked extremely out of the ordinary, if it wasn’t for the frazzled pink mane poking from behind the instrument.

“Pinkie?” Applejack said, stifling a giggle.

“Huh? Oh hi AJ!” Pinkie cried, her head poking out of the instrument’s opening. “Don’t mind me, I’m just packing my sousaphone.”

“Pardon?”

“My soooooo-suh-phone!” she answered, a playful grin on her face. She blew into it, making a deep, resonating sound which ended with a gurgle.

Flinching, Applejack rubbed her ear and asked, “You know how to play it?”

“Of course not! I just like saying sousaphone!” Pinkie Pie tossed the brass horn into the cart, and it let out a measly whimper. “Sousaphone, sousaphone, sousaphone! Ha, see? Say it, it’s fun!”

Patting the side of the cart, Applejack replied with a chuckle, “I think I’ll pass. But, uh, why do ya have this here circus cart?”

“To carry all my stuff,” Pinkie quickly said, poking out of the pile of junk.

“For what?”

“For my trip.”

“To…”

“Las Pegasus!”

“Las Pegasus!” Applejack scrunched her face in disgust, the words bringing back not-so-fond memories of the first and only time she’d go to that place. She could still feel that drunk’s snout as her hindlegs smashed against it with a crack. “Why in tarnation are you going to that…ahem…place?”

“Well it’s only the party capital of the world, silly! It’s where all the ponies go to get a good laugh! And there’s nopony who loves to make ponies smile more than me!” Shoving her face into Applejack’s, Pinkie whispered sinisterly, “Nopony…”

The party pony sauntered away, pushing the objects that were sticking out of the cart. Applejack went to assist her, but she still persisted, “Now who told you that? ‘Cause I went there, and I didn’t come out laughin’.”

“All the latest visitors to Sugarcube Corner! They come from all over the place. Las Pegasus, Manehattan, Detrot, and they’re all super rich and stuff. Anyway, they said I had a great sense of humor, kinda like the performers there! So I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and they said I should try it out!”

With Rarity’s departure still fresh in her mind, Applejack inquired, “Doncha think this is a little, I don't know, hasty?”

“Oh peeshaw, AJ!” Pinkie Pie answered, rolling her eyes. “I’ve already made up my mind. Besides, I’ll be able to bring smiles to everypony, not just Ponyville! That's what I've always wanted to do! Isn’t that great?”

Although he cowpony couldn’t get rid of the knot in the pit of her stomach, she forced a smile. “Well if ya put it that way, that…that sounds pretty nice, heh.”

Pinkie Pie giggled, nodded, and hopped on the front of the cart. “Listen Pinkie, I ain’t gonna lie,” Applejack started, looking up. “This caught me a lil’ off guard, especially since Rarity left not too long ago. Heck, I know I’ll miss the way you bounce around the town and cheer everypony up. But if this is what you really want to do, then I can’t stop ya. It sounds like it’s fer a good cause, anyhow.”

“Aw, thanks AJ!” Pinkie reached down to give her friend a hug. Applejack simply returned the gesture, no matter how empty it felt. “I’ll be back soon, I promise!”

“I'll hold ya to it. Go on then. Bring a smile to those uptight Las Pegasus folks,” she replied solemnly.

“Yeah I will! Tell the others I said bye, 'kay?” The two ponies let go of each other, and Applejack took a few steps back. Pinkie Pie grabbed some reins out of thin air and let out a mighty, “HEEYAH!” Then the cart whizzed off down the road, despite the fact that there was nothing to pull it forward.

For a moment, Applejack stood there as the vehicle sped off down the road. Her eyes were starting to tear up, and she convinced herself it was from all the dust the cart kicked up. Then shaking her head, she whispered, “Shoot. I’m gonna have to tell Dash about this.”

Applejack continued her trip home, suddenly feeling extremely exhausted. On her way, she passed the new City Hall, the old one having been demolished almost a month ago. This one was at least three times as big, sturdier, and had a more ‘administrative feel’ to it. Or at least, that’s what the mayor said when she announced its construction. Applejack fondly remembered the old days, when she had to join that rodeo competition just to keep that rickety building from falling over. This one didn’t need all that maintenance, but that didn’t stop the cowpony from glaring at it with contempt.

Finally, the hills of Sweet Apple Acres poked over the road. Soon, she would race inside, collapse on her bed, and take a nice long…

“Git off mah farm, you…you shark!”

Granny’s shrill voice rang over the hill, and with a gasp, Applejack galloped up the road. She found the elder shoving her walker towards a bearded pony wearing a suit and a construction helmet. Applebloom stood behind Granny's hindlegs with her lips drawn into a pout. The stallion jerked his head uncomfortably, and every time he’d make a peep, the old mare would start off once again.

Applejack ran up to the gate, shouting, “Hey! What’s goin’ on over here?” The stallion gave a relieved sigh when he saw her galloping over.

Pointing an accusing hoof, Granny Smith shouted, “Ah can’t nap fer one minute without these darn ponies making a racket! And all this dust…it’s bad fer mah lungs! Tell ‘em to git!”

“Listen, ma’am, I’m trying to-.”

“I said GIT!”

“Granny, get inside!” Applejack commanded, herding the old mare into the gate. “Applebloom, you too!”

“But Applejack!”

“Inside! Now!”

Applebloom and Granny Smith made their way to the farmhouse, while Applejack watched them intently. When they were inside, Applejack turned her attention to the pony before her. She rubbed her temple, and said in a hushed tone, “You told me y’all weren’t going to start building as long as we lived here! What is this?” She swept a forehoof down the road to indicate a couple of parked bulldozers. Small mounds of dirt where already piled next to them.

The stallion extended a sorry hoof. “Look, I’m really sorry AJ…”

“Don’t call me that.”

He jerked his hoof back, instinctively tugging at his collar. Gulping, he said meekly, “The Board of Commission said we need to start building now. Ponyville’s hosting the next Equestria Games soon, and they want it done before then!”

“Well that’s all fine and dandy, Mr. Carver, but why here? This is mah farm. You can’t build a coliseum right down the road! The dust is bad fer the trees, and us!”

“I-I’m sorry Applejack, but this coliseum is getting built whether you like it or not.”

Suddenly, Applejack’s hoof shot out, grabbing the stallion’s collar. Pulling his face close to hers, the cowpony stated, “Look at me straight in the eyes an’ say that again. Look at me, you varmint!”

Carver felt her warm breath slither down his neck. Sweat was pooling on his brow. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her face, opting to stare at a bright red apple in the distance. “L-listen…”

“No. You listen ta me!” Applejack released him, giving him a slight shove for good measure. Stomping the dirt, she uttered, “You gave your word! You promised.”

“I’ll try to postpone it as much as I can, alright?” Carver stammered. He finally looked into Applejack’s eyes, which burned with a ferocity that made him shrivel. He started to walk backwards, attempting to distance himself from her. “B-but I’ll be honest with you, Applejack. The Board made it clear that the decision is final. In the meantime, I’ll tell the guys to keep things down, okay?” Carver whirled around, briskly trotting towards the construction site.

Applejack took her hat and threw it in the dirt, letting out a frustrated grunt. “What is this world coming to, when a pony can’t even keep a dang promise?” she said, shouting the last two words so the stallion could hear.

Taking a deep breath, she scooped up her hat and dusted it off. When she stepped inside her home, she caught Applebloom sitting by the window with the blinds pulled up. The two exchanged a solemn glare, and Applejack climbed upstairs without saying a word.

Her head hit the pillow, her mind racing at a million miles per hour. As sleep started to ensnare her, Applejack realized she forgot to tell Rainbow Dash something.

The death of Granny Smith soon after sent a jolt through the Ponyville community, or at least, the ones who had lived there long enough to know her. While it was sudden, the Apple family certainly couldn’t say it was unexpected. Sure, for a while it seemed the old mare would live forever. She was the oldest member of Ponyville, a centennial who seemed healthy enough for a few more years of farming. Then one day, Applejack found her in her rocking chair, unable to wake her up.

The funeral was a solemn yet positive gathering, attended by all of the Apple family, plus Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Pinkie and Rarity had been sent an invitation, but both never gave a reply.

Granny Smith was buried at the top of a hill in the orchard, overlooking the farm she had helped to create. The sound of the sobs of hundreds of family members echoed over the hills, accompanied by another, more piercing sound.

Just down the road, some ponies were bulldozing the land for a sports coliseum.

Rainbow Dash sat outside at a small café, a half-eaten dandelion sandwich on her plate. A pair of shades and a cap adorned her head, covering up her striking rainbow mane. She had a tabloid magazine plopped lazily in front of her, which were apparently all the rage now in Ponyville. Ponyville: The Next Manehattan?, Ponyville: A New Canterlot, Ponyville: The HQ of Hip, and all that drivel.

“Jeez, why can’t we be just ‘Ponyville’?” Dash muttered, flipping through the pages without even reading them. However, something ended up catching her eye, so she flipped back to find it. It was a certain headline printed in neon pink, right above the head of a familiar face.

Elements of Laughter With the Element of Laughter

Dash found herself giving a quiet chuckle when she saw the photo of Pinkie with a tuba (or was it a sousaphone?) wrapped around her torso. That’s Pinkie. Always so random. But as she read on and on about Pinkie’s newfound life and her ‘heroic past’, that grin on Dash’s face slowly began to fade away. Soon, she turned the page, unable to take any more of the sugary gossip.

Heaving a sigh, she ran her hooves through the pages one more time, this time stopping at a much larger article. Her eyes automatically began to skim down the paper.

Princess Twilight Ushers in New Dawn

Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest member of Equestria’s Royal Family, held a ceremony last week to formally introduce herself to her new subjects. The princess, who had been learning how to rule a kingdom under Princess Celestia for the past two years, officially took the reins as ruler of…

That was all Dash could read before she crumpled up the magazine and tossed it aside. Throwing her head back in a snarl, she stormed out of the café, just as a confused maître-d’ was going to ask if she was satisfied.

Once she was clear, Rainbow immediately shot off into the air, blowing her hat, glasses, and a crowd of tourists away. She tried to fly high above the city, but the handful of new skyscrapers made that task extremely difficult. So instead she stayed relatively close to the ground, forced to take a closer look at the crowded streets.

Frankly, Dash couldn’t even believe how much Ponyville had grown in the past year. An entirely new section of the city was being built, that café being part of that new strip. There had been so much expansion that the old part of the town was starting to be referred to as ‘Downtown Ponyville’. Before, she could practically name every pony who walked down the street. But now, scanning the group below, she barely recognized any of them.

Lost in thought, Dash found herself snaking through the construction area. Sound seemed to emanate from everywhere. Saws snapping boards, bulldozers scraping up dirt, drills pounding into concrete. It was just noise, noise, noise, and no break in between. Noise seeping through her ears and bouncing around in her head until it was just one big blur.

Finally, Rainbow Dash let out a growl of frustration. Gritting her teeth, she yelled at the top of her lungs, “Would you all just shut up!”

She didn’t get any response other than more drills and cranes. Then again, it wasn’t like she actually expected one. Instead, she rocketed out of there as fast as she could, headed towards ‘Downtown Ponyville’.

Here she could spot a few familiar buildings, which brought a relieved grin to Dash’s face. The Carousel Boutique was still there, although it had been purchased and converted into a dainty thrift shop. The Cakes still ran Sugarcube Corner, which lacked the customers it used to have. The old library was still standing, although word was going around that it was to be made a national landmark called ‘The Twilight Tree’. The name made Dash feel nauseous, and she still wanted to refer to it by its original name.

Normally she’d steer clear of the old tree, but today she felt compelled to get closer. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered all those times when she’d burst through the roof, bits of ceiling raining around her, literally dropping in on Twilight. But then a retreating carriage and a pair of purple eyes crept in, robbing her of that smile. She came to a slow stop, her head pounding, her eyes closed in thought. Anxiety coursed through her veins, so Dash decided to fly in the other direction.

However, she caught the attention of a line of tourists waiting to enter the national landmark. “Hey, isn’t that Rainbow Dash?” one whispered.

“Yeah, it’s gotta be. No other pony has that kind of mane. Hey! You!”

Rainbow halted, rolled her eyes, and turned towards the voice. “What is it?” she grumbled tiredly.

“Hey, you’re Rainbow Dash, right? The Element of Loyalty? You were friends with Princess Twilight!”

Oh boy, not again, the pegasus thought, preparing for a hasty getaway.

“Do you mind if I get a photo of you?”

“No thanks. I’ve kinda got somewhere else to be,” Rainbow lied.

Suddenly, a volley of voices came at her. “Come on, please? Only a second!”

“Hey, what about me?”

“I need a pic with the Element of Loyalty!”

“I can’t believe she’s right there!”

“She looks a lot bigger in person…”

Giving an extremely irritated groan, Rainbow Dash beat her wings and zoomed away, leaving the small group of ponies coughing from the dust. “Can’t even go one minute…,” she griped. Intrigued by her own statement, she closed her eyes and mentally started counting down from sixty.

At twenty-seven, a quiet voice said, “Rainbow Dash?” When she opened her eyes, she found another pegasus flying next to her. It was Fluttershy, whose eyes looked slightly red.

“’Shy! How’s it goin’?” Rainbow said, pleased to see a familiar face. “When was the last time we talked? Like, six days ago?”

“Actually…it was seven,” Fluttershy answered.

“Well what’s up? You look kinda down.”

“I…I needed to find you, Dash. I needed to talk to somepony,” she said softly, her eyes possessing a look of urgency.

Rainbow put her hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulder. “No prob, Flutters. What’s up?”

“Can we go back to my cottage first?”

Dash nodded, so the two flew slowly towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Rainbow always loved visiting Fluttershy’s cottage, especially now that everywhere else in Ponyville was riddled with publicity. With its close proximity to the Everfree Forest, the vacationers and the builders usually kept their distance. Other than her own home, the cottage was one of the few sanctuaries where Rainbow could find some peace.

Rainbow looked over at her longtime friend, giving a friendly smirk. However, after noticing her friend’s shaky hooves and red eyes, Dash began to worry that this wasn’t just some social visit. When the two ventured inside, Fluttershy mumbled an empty, “Make yourself at home.” Rainbow curled up on a couch, while her friend shuffled into the kitchen for some drinks.

She came out with two cups of tea, handing one to Rainbow. They sat next to each other, sipping from their cups, neither saying anything. And for a while, they stayed like that, savoring the peace and quiet like they savored their tea. For a minute, the duo sat behind a curtain of calmness and serenity, shielded from the harsh reality outside. Everything was the way things should have been, and neither wanted to pull that veil back.

“I’m leaving…”

The statement almost made Dash spit out her tea. She choked down the rest of the drink, beginning to cough hysterically. Once the fit subsided, Rainbow looked at her friend with wide eyes and replied, “You-you can’t be serious!”

The timid mare shakily put down her cup, whimpering, “I can’t do this anymore, Rainbow. Not the cameras, not the pictures…”

“No, no, no. You can’t! Not you.” Rainbow grasped her friend’s hoof, looking at her with imploring eyes.

“Dash…I can’t stay here any longer.”

“Fluttershy, this doesn’t make any sense!” She stood up and began to pace furiously around the room. Almost knocking over the tea, Dash placed her forehooves on the table and asserted, “We’ve been putting up with this for more than a year, and we’ve been able to manage! Why are you doing this now?”

To her surprise, Fluttershy quickly stood up, staring straight into her friend’s maroon eyes. With a frown, she ambled out of the living room, beckoning for Dash to follow. With one eyebrow raised, the colorful pegasus obeyed.

Fluttershy led her to the wooden door that opened out to the backyard. Without a word, she swung the door open, and told Rainbow to step outside. When she did, part of her wished she’d stayed inside.

The first thing she noticed was the cages, each one containing one or two of each type of animal. They were stacked in a way that reminded Dash of the bitter exchange between her and Rarity; it seemed so long ago. But once she fought past that dreadful memory, another sight caught her eye. And this one was much more horrific.

Amidst a field of green grass, one spot was soaked red. Dash had seen more than enough flying accidents to know what it was. And to make things worse, the grass looked like it had been pressed down by something the size and shape of…

“A pony. That’s a…what happened here?” Rainbow didn’t want to get any closer, but nothing could erase the image of dried blood caking each tiny blade of grass. There were a few patches of dirt where they had been ripped out in an attempt to clean it up.

In a somber, almost-eerie voice, Fluttershy whispered, “Yesterday, I found a paparazzo in my yard. I had let the animals out to play. I think he startled them…When I came out, he was…it was terrible.”

“Did he…y’know?”

“No...no, I got him to the hospital. He had lost a lot of blood.” Shaking her head, Fluttershy turned back into her cottage, unable to bear the sight any longer. Dash shared the same sentiment, shutting the door behind her.

Rainbow started, “I’m so sorry this happened, ‘Shy. I-I can’t believe it.”

“I took his camera.”

“What?”

“I took his camera,” Fluttershy repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. Her legs were wobbly, her breath was shaky, and her mane had been brushed to cover her face. Drawing in a gulp of air, she uttered, “And he had pictures…of me…in my h-house. Pictures…from last w-week.”

After hearing this statement, something inside Rainbow just snapped. She clenched her jaw and ground her teeth, her hooves aching to know how it felt to be wrapped around that paparazzo’s neck. She ached to see all those nosy tourists just disappear off the face of the earth, so that maybe, just maybe, her friends’ lives wouldn’t be as messy as they were. She ached for this newfound fame to rot alongside the tabloids, the hotels, and a pair of alicorn wings. It almost scared her, knowing she had never felt so furious in all her life. And to make matters worse, standing before her was her longest friend, driven to tears and threatening to leave.

“I think…I think he was going to sell them. He was going to sell them, Dash. Ponies could have seen…”

Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around her friend, wishing she could make things okay in one embrace. Tears were forming in her eyes, but her body shook with anger, not sadness. “How dare he...Listen to me, Flutters. I’m going to make sure that mule regrets ever coming to this town. Heck, I'll make him wish he never bucking existed.”

“No, Dash, you can’t. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” The timid pegasus wriggled out of Rainbow’s hug. Tears stained her fur, and when she tried to exhale deeply, it only came out as shaky sobs. “I got this cottage for some peace and quiet, so I could raise my animals without anything like this happening. We’ve had ponies watching us ever since Twilight became a princess, and I’ve put up with it like you. You know that. But after this…I can’t do it anymore. It’s time I moved away. Before anypony else gets hurt. Before I get hurt.”

Upon hearing this ultimatum, Dash’s scowl was replaced with a desolate frown. Sitting on her haunches and bringing her hooves together in a pleading motion, she begged, “B-but Fluttershy, you can’t go!”

“Rarity and Pinkie have gone.”

“But, that’s why!” she said, not realizing that she was yelling. “You can’t go too…not you. Where…where will you go?”

“Somewhere far from whatever Ponyville's become,” Fluttershy responded, her voice resolute. Dash could see it in her eyes. Fluttershy’s decision was final, and nothing her longtime friend did changed a thing.

Dash started to breathe heavily, as though a two-ton object had stuck her right in the gut. She locked eyes with Fluttershy for a moment, but she was unable to think of anything to say. So with a sigh, Rainbow Dash sluggishly stood herself up, brushed by Fluttershy’s shoulder, and walked straight for the door.

As she walked away, Fluttershy asked, “Why don’t you come with me?”

“I can’t,” Rainbow whispered, without even looking back.

“Why not?”

“I…I just can’t.”

Dash swung open the door, ready to leave everything between her and Fluttershy behind forever. Before she could fly away, a timid voice called out, “I promise I’ll see you every now and then.”

Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway, leaning against it with her forehoof. She deliberately turned her head, meeting Fluttershy’s gaze one last time. Tears were welling in the corner of Dash's eyes, and Fluttershy could sadly tell. With a quiet, somber voice, the cyan pegasus replied, “That’s what they all said.”

Rainbow took a short trot before launching into the air. She flew into the countryside, leaving behind a trail of tears which fell like rain.

Wishing You the Best...

The night came slow over the city of Ponyville. A lone pony sat in the safety of her own kitchen table, cradling her head in her hooves. A mug of coffee was next to her head, which had been sitting stagnant and cold for quite a while. Wrinkles surrounded her sleepy eyes, which were trained on a lone walker sitting in the corner, gathering cobwebs. The room was dimly lit, and rain droned outside, smacking on the steps of the dilapidated porch.

It was late; Applebloom and Big Mac had already gone to bed. But Applejack simply couldn’t fall asleep, not for the past few days. She let out a deep breath, tapping on the table, wishing that she had been dreaming for the past year.

A loud knock outside jolted her upright. The cowpony slowly got up and poked her head out of the kitchen, casting a hesitant drowsy glance at the doorway. She was unable to see anything from the windows besides the rain. The thought of having a ghost in her home sent a shiver through her body, and part of her wanted to rush into her bedroom and hide in her covers. Just before she could do that, however, another knock echoed through the house.

This time, Applejack gulped and walked slowly towards the front door. With a trembling hoof, she turned the knob, cracked the door open just a smidge, and peeked outside. To her surprise, it was no ghost. In fact, it was probably worse.

A rainbow-maned pegasus stood alone in the cold night, her fur dripping with rain. Applejack could see a pair of pleading eyes looking straight at her through a soaked mane. Dash’s wings hung lazily at her side, as though she were too tired to fold them up. She looked very wobbly, having to lean on the door in order to stay upright. “AJ…please,” the feeble figure whispered, her voice weak and shaky.

With wide eyes, Applejack slid underneath her friend’s foreleg and carried her over to the couch. Once she had been slowly lowered down, Rainbow Dash curled up into a shivering ball. Seeing this, Applejack rushed upstairs, grabbing multiple sets of towels and blankets. Without hesitation, she wrapped the coverings around her cold friend, gently patting down the wet fur. Once she had been covered up, Dash said with a weak smile, “Thank you.”

“You stay right there, sugarcube. I’ll get y’all some hot water,” Applejack replied, dashing off to the kitchen.

When she came back with a steaming mug, Dash was already sitting upright, wrapped in a cocoon of sheets. Her eyes had a blank stare, which caused Applejack to frown. “Dash?” she called, which seemed to bring the pegasus back to her senses.

Clearing her throat, Rainbow tried to reply in the loudest voice she could manage, “Oh. Hey AJ.”

“Drink this.” She extended the cup, and Rainbow gripped it with her trembling hooves. The pegasus brought the cup to her lips, some of the water spilling out onto the sheets. Taking a tentative sip, Rainbow let out a deep breath as the drink began to heat up her insides. Considering everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours, Dash thought that feeling warm inside was a nice change of pace.

Rainbow had almost forgotten that Applejack was standing across from her. The pegasus addressed her friend, stating, “Thanks…again. I’m so tired.”

“Ya sure look like it, Dash,” Applejack responded with a light chuckle. “Here, I’ll get ya some medicine.”

“No, no, it’s cool Applejack. I’m fine. Just need some rest.”

Applejack couldn’t help but shake her head when she saw this wet, shaggy, tired pegasus try to puff out her chest and pout. “Now Dash, this ain’t no time ta be playing the tough pony here. You were standing out there in the cold rain. Yer obviously sick an’ tired, and you need some medicine.” With that, the cowpony trotted out of the room, leaving Rainbow to roll her eyes while being secretly pleased.

Applejack came back with some kind of reddish broth that smelled like a mixture of cherry, butterscotch, and cough medicine. Rainbow sniffed it and winced, but after a forceful nudge, she quickly downed the mixture in one gulp. She only gagged once, and after she washed it down with a flood of water, Dash sat back on the couch and let her body go limp. Half of her really wanted to go to sleep, but the other half knew that definitely was not possible. Not with everything in her mind racing faster than a sonic rainboom.

Applejack felt the anxiety emanating from her friend, taking seat on the cushion next to her. She was in no rush to pry, however, waiting for Dash to make the first sound. The pegasus wanted to oblige, but every time she wanted to say something, the words would choke in her throat and then she’d take a swing of her water. After a few more swigs, she realized the mug was already empty.

Applejack saved her from her predicament, asking, “So…why were you out there?”

“Oh y’know, I was just uh…getting some exercise. I kinda lost track of time, the storm was already coming in, and your house was close by. So I…”

“Dash?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Ya can’t expect me ta believe ya now, do ya?”

The pegasus peeked up from her empty cup to see Applejack looking at her with skeptical eyes. “I find it hard ta believe that you were flying at eleven o’clock at night, and that you let a storm sneak up on ya even though yer a part of the weather patrol.”

Letting out a weary chuckle, Rainbow looked down and said, “Probably shoulda known, considering it's you.”

“Come on Dash. You can tell me anything.” Applejack wrapped a leg around her friend, trying to catch a glimpse of those maroon eyes covered by a rainbow mane. Rainbow Dash remained silent, unable to meet AJ’s eyes. She imagined her mug filling back up so she could avoid having to say what she came to say. But it remained empty, just like the words coming out of Applejack’s mouth.

“…Rainbow, what’s the matter with you?” Applejack inquired, her voice coming back into focus. “What were you doing out there in the rain?”

Finally, Rainbow couldn’t hold her breath any longer. She snapped her head to side, accidentally dropping her cup. “What’s happening to us, Applejack?” she quickly asked.

“Wha-?”

“Why is this happening, huh? What did we do wrong?”

Applejack scooted back, surprised by the sudden reaction. “W-we didn’t do anythin’ wrong, sugarcube!”

“Then why are we being punished like this?”

The duo looked at each other for a few seconds, the rain roaring louder than ever. Dash’s brows were furrowed and her eyes were narrow, complete with a scowl that seemed to shake the room. Her snout was thrust forward, grazing against the cowpony’s. Applejack was somewhat taken aback by the severity of her friend’s words, her mouth agape with shock.

“Why would you say that, Rainbow?”

Those words reminded the pegasus why she had come by in the first place. Her gaze softened and she backed away, pulling the sheets tighter around her. In a subdued voice, she uttered, “Fluttershy just told me she was leaving. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. Then…after that, I flew around. I flew around and I never wanted to stop. Even when it started pouring…”

Dash realized she was tearing up, so she furiously rubbed her eyes before continuing, “She asked me to come with her. But I just can’t. I just can’t leave. I don’t know why. Every part of me is telling me to run away…but I can’t do it.”

“Yer the most loyal out of any of us, sugarcube. Of course you won’t.”

Applejack quickly took Dash into a warm embrace, slowly running her hooves through the drenched fur. She pondered about Fluttershy’s departure, but only for a moment. Right now, she had another friend who certainly needed help more than Fluttershy did.

Dash closed her eyes, feeling Applejack’s warmth on her skin. “But…but if Fluttershy leaves Ponyville, then that only leaves…”

“Shhh. Don’t think about that, Rainbow. We still got us. And we ain’t gonna let anything change that. Not the reporters, not this town, nothing. I promi-.”

“Stop,” Rainbow interrupted, squeezing AJ’s leg. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Make promises. I don’t make promises I know I can’t keep, AJ.”

After nuzzling Dash’s neck, Applejack turned her friend so they were face to face. With a tender smile, the most sincere she could muster, the cowpony replied, “Well neither do I. And I promise you what I said before is true. Nothin’ will ever change the two of us.”

The pegasus saw this compassionate smile, heard the earnestness of her friend’s words, and despite all the promises she’d heard before, something compelled her to believe this one. And so, she shot herself forward, latching her hooves around AJ’s neck. Putting her mouth up to Applejack’s ear, she whispered shakily, “She looked at me…way back, when we were in that crowd, trying to get to Twilight. I lied. She saw me. She looked straight at me. And…and she didn’t do anything…”

“I know.”

For the first time ever, the two ponies, a confident stuntpony and a hardened cowpony, wept in each other’s affectionate embrace. Neither wanted to leave, or to lose that rare feeling of being truly warm. Neither wanted to face the incoming storm, the rising skyscrapers, and the endless following that waited for them day after day. And so, the two tightened their grip on each other, their sobs echoing throughout the quiet farmhouse. Even as those sobs faded away, their hold remained as firm as ever, as though they would slip away into oblivion the moment they let go.

“I don’t even recognize this place anymore, AJ. I barely recognize us. But this is my home…this is our home. Leaving…is like leaving behind everything we’ve ever been. I dunno if I can do that, AJ.”

“Neither can I, sugarcube.”

“…Please tell me they’re coming back. Please tell me I’m not waiting for nothin’.”

Applejack paused, unable, for once, to say the truth.

Now, more than a year after that, Dash and Applejack sat atop a hill in the wee hours of the morning, looking at the place they bitterly called home.

Ponyville was nothing more than a tourist attraction and a parking lot now. Granted, it was a parking lot with a heck of a view, but it was a parking lot nonetheless. Hotels and mansions had sprung up everywhere, and at times Dash could barely tell it was the same little village she had grown accustomed to for most of her life.

It had been decided to make Twilight’s Tree the center of the entire town.Thus, the oldest part of Ponyville, the place they had spent most of their friendship together, was now completely engulfed by the glitzy city lights. It seemed like the residents of Ponyville went in a cycle, because the rich came around at the same time every year to visit their new vacation homes. These same faces could be found until the season’s end, when the next bunch would take their place. Until tonight, it was as though the only year-round residents were Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

As the two sat there, empty promises echoed in their minds. At least Rarity had sent some money the first few months. But since then, the letters have been scarce, and the bits have disappeared. Pinkie’s only sightings had been in tabloid newspapers and magazines. For Fluttershy, one year later, she had yet to make due on her word. And finally, there was that one promise made in Applejack's home on a late, rainy night.

“I really thought she’d come back,” Dash uttered, referring to Fluttershy.

“It’s the press. She’d never come back here as long as the press is around.”

“What about the others, then? Why do you think they’ve stayed away?”

“Come on Dash. You know I can’t answer that,” Applejack replied, staring out at the bleak horizon. “Please...that ain’t the way you wanna remember things, right?”

“No…I guess not.” Rainbow Dash leaned back, letting her hooves run through the thick grass. She muttered quietly, “But it's been so long...more than three years, AJ. Three years since the coronation. That’s a lot of time to be kept waiting...a lot of time wasted.”

For the brash pegasus, the past three years felt like she had been going in slow motion. She couldn’t remember how many times she had contemplated running away. But instead, she kept hanging on to that sliver of hope that her friends would return. She was the Element of Loyalty, and she tried so hard to just hold on. But as fate would have it, a pony could only wait for so long. Here she was, years later, waiting patiently for friends who were too impatient to help her.

The sun was starting to rise over the hills. Soon enough, the city would be bustling again, and the paparazzi would be out and about, scrounging for the next scoop. With a sigh, Dash simply murmured, “It’s time.”

The two stood up, facing each other for the final time. Applejack gazed at her friend’s face, seeing the wrinkles around her eyes and the way her ears drooped low. “I never thought this day would come,” the cowpony admitted sadly. “At least, not so soon.”

“Yeah,” was all Rainbow could reply.

“Listen, Rainbow. I jus’ wanted to say-.”

Suddenly, Applejack found her hat toppling off her head and her breath being knocked out of her chest . Dash had thrown herself unto her friend, and began to weep in AJ’s hooves. After getting over the initial shock, Applejack closed her eyes and sullenly returned the embrace.

Tears flowed down Dash's cheeks, and onto Applejack's broad shoulders. “I tried, AJ...I tried.”

“I know you did, sugarcube. And that’s all I ever could ask.” Applejack began to tremble, but she somehow held back her tears. “I meant what I said before, ya know. We still got us. Even when we’re miles away.”

“Thank you for never l-leaving me,” the pegasus said.

“Yer the one who never left us, Rainbow. Even when they left…you never left them.”

As much as she wanted to stay atop that hill, Rainbow Dash knew she couldn’t prolong things any longer. Using all the strength she had left, the pegasus let go of her cowpony friend. She slowly picked up some of her bags, while Applejack helped sling them over her back. Patting Rainbow’s shoulder, Applejack said, “I’ll try an’ write as much as I can, okay?”

The pegasus simply nodded, wiped her eyes, and turned to face the rising sun. She took one glance back at the cowpony and whispered, “Goodbye.”

Applejack gave a warm smile, witnessing the halo of light that surrounded Dash’s head. Taking off her hat, she replied, “Only fer now…mah friend.”

Then, Rainbow Dash took one shaky step, and took off into the sky.

Applejack stood alone, watching the rainbow-maned pony become but a speck on the horizon. When the speck disappeared into the light of the sun, the lone pony walked away, her hat covering her tears. She stopped at a gravestone, her eyes lighting upon it with an unspoken plea. She placed her forehoof on the stone, said a quiet prayer, and slowly plodded down the hill. The sound of a jackhammer began to emit from the coliseum just down the road.

“Never make promises you can’t keep, Twi,” the lonely mare muttered to the wind.

When Big Mac wandered into the orchard that morning, she was already back to work.

Dear Rainbow,

Gosh...I'll be honest with you, we're struggling to hold on. The harvest hasn't been doing so well these past few years, and with all the construction and factories popping up, I'm wondering if this is the kind of place we farmers belong. It ain't the kind of place I want Applebloom, or anypony, to grow up in.

But even then, I just can't give up like this, especially when it comes to ol' Sweet Apple Acres. I can't just cut ourselves loose, not after the years of work we've put into this place. It's a rough time for sure. Heck, you and I have been through more rough times than most. But hey, all you can do is hold onto the blessings you've already got, right? And I'll be darned if I let some suit-wearing mules have their way.

For now, I hope you’re doing well. I got your letter saying that the Wonderbolts invited you back to the Academy. That’s so great! I always knew you’d make it there one day. Soon enough, I’ll be taking the whole family to come and watch your shows!

Anyway, that’s all I’ve really got to say for now. I wish you the best of luck, Rainbow, and I hope you’re wishing us the same. Until next time.

Your friend forever,
Applejack

Dash turned the letter over to read the date. April 5th. One month ago. So far.

She slid the letter back into a yellow envelope, which was creased, crumpled, and riddled with hoofmarks. She placed the letter on the dining table where it usually was, and crept outside into her yard. Her new home was atop a cloud on the outskirts of Cloudsdale, away from the hustle-bustle of the city.

On her way out, she gazed at a familiar picture hanging by the doorway. It was of her friends after the Grand Galloping Gala, covered in pastries and grime, and still laughing about it. A tear cut right through the middle, where a certain lavender unicorn was standing. Words were scrawled on, words that had been ingrained into her mind, words that she could never get out of her head...

Once she was outside, she waited at her mailbox for the rest of the morning, hoping that the mailpony would come with a small yellow envelope. She waited, just as she had done yesterday, and every day before that.

And if nothing came today, well, there was always tomorrow.

Author's Note

Greetings, readers. Hope you guys liked the story, because I had a great time writing it! As I invested myself more and more, I realized some of this stuff sort of parallels my own life. No, I don't have a friend who's being crowned as a princess (though admittedly, that'd be really cool). For me, the big event isn't a coronation, but a little thing most people call 'college'.

Without going into too much detail, let's just say this story encapsulates a lot of my fears as I go off, and I see a lot of myself in AJ and RD, especially coming from a relatively small and quiet town. Change happens...but sometimes it ain't easy.

Whether this quaint little “afterword” is important to your understanding of the story or not, I still hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved making it. And so, I'll leave you guys to decide...whether that mailpony ever comes by with that yellow envelope... :twilightsmile: